22 October 2010
euronews and NTU announce that the international news channel euronews and its shareholder the National Television Company of Ukraine, NTU, will launch in 2011 a full service dedicated to the Ukrainian market and more generally to all Ukrainian speaking viewers all over the world.
The agreement to launch euronews in Ukrainian was signed yesterday in Paris by
Mr Egor Benkendorf, President of NTU,
Mr Walid Arfush, Vice President of NTU,
Mr Philippe Cayla, Chairman of the Executive board of Euronews,
Mr Michael Peters, Managing Director of the Executive board of Euronews,
in presence of Mr Boris Kolesnikov, vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.
A 24/7 service and local programmes
From the launching date, euronews in Ukrainian will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Ukrainian version of euronews will be produced in cooperation by two specially recruited teams representing 40 permanent professionals in Lyon, France and Kiev, Ukraine.
For the first time, euronews will produce local programmes related to national news. A joint team of NTU and euronews based in Kiev will work closely with the Ukrainian service based at the euronews’ headquarters in Lyon. Together, they will produce news bulletins or magazines all day long on Ukrainian subjects for euronews viewers in Ukraine.
Distribution and local ad window
euronews will be in charge of distributing the new version to Ukrainian-speaking people around the world, while NTU will make this new version available all over Ukraine.
As part of the agreement between NTU and euronews, creating a local ad window for the Ukrainian market is in the agenda. This will be a new opportunity for all Ukrainian advertisers to reach international influent viewers and to develop their brand strategy.
On the Internet
The new service of the channel will also be introduced on www.euronews.net joining the ten existing ones (Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Turkish).
22 October 2010
After TeleBiel and TeleZüri, TeleBärn is the third Swiss TV station to choose NorCom’s NCPower product, NorCom AG and its partner Jordi AG Communication have announced.
NCPower has been chosen since it comprises the whole journalistic workflow in one system and can be integrated in an ideal way. These advantages allow journalists to produce with utmost flexibility, better and faster. In addition, NCPower uses modern standards and therefore reduces management expenditure for the system.
TeleBärn is part of Espace Media Gruppe which belongs to Tamedia AG. The portfolio of Tamedia AG also contains the TV station TeleZüri that already works with NCPower.
“Orders based on recommendations are the best compliment, says Dr. Tobias Abthoff, CEO of NorCom AG. The mandate of the third Swiss TV station shows that we are well-reputed in Switzerland together with our partner Jordi AG. It is also proof that NCPower delivers what it promises: measurable enhancement of efficiency, a smooth journalistic workflow and lean structures.
21 October 2010
Voice of America’s dynamic and cost-free English language teaching program for Chinese and Farsi speakers, goEnglish.me, is now even easier to use with the introduction of new mobile phone apps.
The apps provide on-the-go access to VOA’s interactive, online learning program, a fun and effective way to learn contemporary English.
VOA Director Danforth W. Austin says, “For years people around the world have been improving their English by listening to the Special English programs of the Voice of America. These new mobile phone apps expand on that, teaching English in a convenient, user-friendly way for anyone with a mobile phone.”
The goEnglish apps are available for both iPhone and Droid devices.
By accessing the self-study program, a user can learn how Americans talk about everyday aspects of their lives, ranging from relationships to shopping to filling out a job application.
The interactive Chinese and Farsi language editions, which are also available online at www.goEnglish.me, cater to English learners of all abilities. The beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons offer access to the latest learning techniques, including voice recognition software, virtual characters and video clips. There are also games and dialogues that guide users through day-to-day situations, and help them practice newly-learned skills.
21 October 2010
Discover Science (Physiakawn), an innovative science magazine co-produced by Al Jazeera Childrens Channel (JCC) and Japans NHK/NED, won the best prize in the category of TV youth program at the ABU Prizes closing ceremony held in Tokyo on 19 October 2010.
Discover Science consists of 26×14-minute episodes that help children better understand scientific theories by seeing them in action through spectacular and entertaining mega experiments.
Discover Science was shortlisted alongside 4 other programs from Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands and Germany; the co-production was awarded the ABU prize for the best series targeting children and youth in the TV youth category for its professional use of advanced techniques in implementing scientific experiments. This category was created to recognize outstanding entertaining and educational TV programs aiming at an audience aged 12-17 years old.
JCC and NHK are currently promoting Discover Science worldwide. This unique project has already attracted international co-producers and broadcasters such as the German broadcaster SWR, UR from Sweden, EBS from Korea, and others, and will be available in the Arab World next year. Since its launch three months ago, Discover Sciences revenues have exceeded 300 thousands US dollars; JCC and NHK share these revenues.
Mahmoud Bouneb, Executive General Manager at Al Jazeera Childrens Channel, and Malika Alouane, Director of Channels Programming, attended the ABU closing ceremony while in Japan to discuss with NHK the production of a second season of Discover Science and other quality programs related to science, technology and environment. The two parties are planning to sign a 5-year-agreement that will enable them to produce these programs using the highest technical and visual standards in collaboration with prestigious international scientific institutions.
19 October 2010
The Associated Press is to oversee the creation of an organisation to help newspapers and broadcasters generate funds as more and more people get their news from mobile phones and other wireless devices.
The ambitious project announced yesterday by APs CEO, Tom Curley, at a newspaper convention in the States, indicates that AP the worlds oldest and largest news cooperative – intends to play a leading role in tackling the problems experienced by long-established media organisations that have been unable to capitalise on the Internet.
The project will see the creation of a digital rights clearinghouse which will help the news media protect their content and generate more revenue as fast-developing technology hatches new channels for distributing the news they produce.
At the same time, for its member news organisations, AP is also expanding development of apps and content modules for the growing array of handheld devices, from mobile phones to tablets like the iPad, helping newspapers and broadcasters tap into the digital explosion.
“We’ve stood by while others invent creative, new uses for our news and reap most of the benefit,” Curley said yesterday in a speech before the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association in Austin, Texas USA (18th October). “The digital marketplace is on the cusp of an even bigger phase of growth on new platforms and devices
We have arrived at a moment of significant opportunity,” he added.
Under the rights clearinghouse plan, AP together with other news organisations would establish an independent entity which would provide rights clearance and privacy tools, a variety of ways to license content from publishers, and media intelligence services that would give insights to businesses about consumption of news content.
The clearinghouse uses AP News Registry a tagging system developed by AP which allows participants to tag, track and measure use of their content online. As well as detecting unauthorised use of content, the registry’s tagging system can provide useful information about who is viewing specific content or the frequency with which specific information is mentioned.
The clearinghouse could be in operation by the end of 2010. As yet no chief exec has been appointed.
More than 70 AP member newspapers and broadcasters have already gone live with private smart-phone apps developed by AP, in conjunction with Verve Wireless, Inc. AP also is working on private label iPad applications. Both leverage APs own award-winning AP Mobile platform, providing a complete content publishing and advertising system with no upfront development expense. AP is the only news organisation providing white label apps that leverage a common content management system for all brands of devices.
